One thing I'm glad the Tesco empire conquered! (Tesco Mobile SIM)

Member Name: nazc1

Product:	Tesco Mobile SIM
Date:	21/08/09 (124 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent coverage and clubcard points too!

Disadvantages: Finding the best tariff for you there's that many!

I've had a mobile for about 10 years now and have been with Tesco mobile for about the last 5 of those so think that says it all before I've even got to the end of the sentence!

Tesco Mobile launched in December 2003 and now has over 2 million customers and from experience it's easy to see why. A lot of people are still surprised when I tell them which mobile provider I'm with but I soon convince them and here's a brief overview of why!

SIM's ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I had brought my new phone from Tesco originally so I got the SIM included but they are currently available in store and on line, both on the Tesco site and other sites such as Amazon.
At the moment if you go to www.tescomobile-freesim.co.uk you can register for 2 free SIM cards or on the Tesco direct website you can have a SIM with £10 credit for £5 which I think is really good value

TARRIF's ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There is a flat rate PAYG charge of 20p per minute, 10p per text and 25p per MMS but you can allocate 5 favourite numbers that are half price. However there are also other tariffs available according to their website.

* PAYG Lite - 8p per min, 4p per text and 25p per MMS
* VALUE - 15p per min, 5p per text but no MMS or internet access

The next two tarrifs apply if you top up £15 a month or more:

* EXTRA - 10p per min, 5p per text and 25p per MMS
* STANDARD PLUS - You can choose from either 500 texts or 150 minutes then once these have been used you go back to the standard PAYG fee's, although your 5 favourite numbers still apply

The newest tariff Tesco has launched is the TRIPLE CREDIT tariff where the usual PAYG charges apply but you get extra for your top ups:
£10 you get £10 free = £20 total
£15 you get £30 free = £45 total
£20 you get £40 free = £60 total
Its worth noting that the 'free' credit is only valid for that month so you cant carry it over and it takes 48 hours to be added to your account.

From what I can see on the website there is a flat rate of 10p per minute for WAP services and there is a charge for listening to your voicemail which is around 8/10p per minute.

It can seem quite confusing but what I'm trying to show is that there really is a package for every one. Its best to go online and have a good read through all the options and charges so you can pick the one that will be best value for you. Something really good is hat you can swap between tariffs by phoning customer services from your mobile so you're not 'tied in' for a fixed contract.

I personally am on the standard plus tariff and have 500 free texts (I am a textaholic!) You get a message letting you know when these are used and when you need to top up by to receive the next lot. What I have found though is that I use the free texts then my remaining credit and so probably only top up every 6 weeks or so. When I've put my £15 on the free bundle starts within a few days.

COVERAGE ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tesco mobile teamed up with O2 and so promise 99% UK population coverage. In my personal experience I have found the network coverage to be excellent. Almost everyone who comes to my house struggles to get a signal (unless they're sat on the loo!) however I can easily send and receive texts and make calls without a problem.
In all the years I've been with them I can count on one hand the times I haven't had a signal.
If you go to www.gadgetstylist.com you can use their service to check O2 coverage in your area

TOP UP ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

You can top up many ways so there's bound to be that's convenient for you

* ONLINE - This can be done via the Tesco mobile website and can be a one off or if you set up a regular top, the amount is debited from your account on a specific day of the month and you get a 10% discount

* PHONE - Just call 4444 from your mobile and follow the instructions to top up either via voucher or credit/debit card. Once you've used the card once you only have to enter the last 4 digits of the card

* RETAIL OUTLETS - Obviously you can top up in Tesco but more and more shops are adding Tesco to the list of tops ups they offer. In the last few days I have noticed that both my local Superdrug and Post Office offer this service.

* ATM - Any cash point at your local Tesco will allow you to top up but I have personally never tried this.

CLUBCARD POINTS ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

An added bonus is you can get club card points on your top ups so money for nothing! You do have to register your club card first and it takes a few days to process.
If you top up in store, on line or via your mobile you get triple club card points so 3 points for every £1 you spend.
You can use these vouchers in store or on the Tesco website on line and they are also covered in the double up scheme Tesco have recently introduced so if you get £5 worth of vouchers you can use them to get £10 worth of credit which is fantastic and has saved me a fortune!

CUSTOMER SERVICE ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I haven't had to deal with customer services on many occasions as I haven't had any problems really!
When I first got the SIM I did ring them to transfer my old phone number and once when I had problems with receiving texts I rang them and on both occasions they answered quickly, were friendly and more importantly were helpful and efficient!
A lot of things you can do via your mobile through an automated service so things like topping up, changing tariffs and registering clubcards etc so this saves some time.
I did recently e-mail customer services with a query regarding my SIM because it was so old and they replied promptly and were really thorough in their suggestions, They offered to send me a free SIM upgrade and explained the best way to do it so I wasn't without my number for long.

WOULD I RECOMMEND THEM? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

ABSOLUTELY! As I said at the start I think the fact I've stayed with them for this long is testimony to how good they are! I have never had any problems with their service, their network coverage and now they offer much more competitive PAYG packages so they're right up there with other leading mobile providers! Plus you get money back in kind through the club card points, especially now you ca double these up you can in effect get some credit for free!

If you're considering a change of provider - think Tesco!

All tariff information and prices correct according to the Tesco mobile website Aug 09

Summary: Good coverage, customer service, competitive tarrifs and 'perks'